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'You have talent pool and exposure, but quality...': Ex-Pakistan captain's explosive dig at Hardik's 2021 statement
The former Pakistan skipper didn't mince his words as he talked about Team India's performances in the white-ball formats.
Throughout the white-ball leg in the series against West Indies, the Indian team management inclined towards experimentations with the playing XI combinations. While captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of India's key batters, were available throughout the ODIs, they were rested for the second and third games in the three-match series; moreover, Kohli wasn't sent in to bat in the 1st ODI despite India losing five wickets in a low-scoring chase. While the idea might be to test the youngsters in the squad ahead of the all-important ODI World Cup later this year, some of the decisions certainly drew criticism from fans on social media.
In the T20Is, Rohit and Kohli haven't featured this year and that didn't change for the West Indies series. India made a frustrating start, losing the first two games before pulling out a seven-wicket win in third, thus staying alive in the five-match rubber. However, the team management continues to draw flak and former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has also criticised India's experiments in the white-ball formats.
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Referring to Hardik's comment from 2021 where he stated that India can play three different teams and win any competition, Butt insisted that the quality is not the same without some of the side's experienced players.
“It's not an ideal combination when their key players are not playing. If Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma are not playing, if their experienced players are missing, it's not the same thing. They say they can make three different teams. Yes, talent pool and exposure is there, but the quality without their key players shows that the team cannot perform at the same level,” said the former Pakistan skipper.
“Senior players carry their weight, their experience makes a difference on opposition as well.”
With both Rohit and Kohli nowhere near to the mix for T20Is, it looks increasingly likely that India are preparing for life without the star duo in the shortest format. Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, will make a comeback to the side for the first time since September when India take on Ireland in a three-T20I series, starting August 18. The star pacer will also be leading the side in the bilateral series.
